Shipment of Flour Goes To and Fro

Chronicle (Levin), 12 December 1946, Page 6

Shipment of Flour Goes To and Fro

—Press Association

By Telegraph-

WELLINGTON, Dee. 11. The movement between Wellington and Lyttelton of an emergency shipment of wholemeal flour for bakers provides a tale so crazy that it is scarcely credible as other tlian the produot of sonie fevcred brain; but it> is no inveutioiL — it is a fact, and it is a fact that is preventing Wellington people from obtaining brown and wholemeal bread. TJiis shipment, ordered as an emergency measure to cover a tcmporary shortage between normal deliveries, has been moving between the North and youth Islauds siuce last Friday and Lliere is every cliance that it will still be carried to and fro until the beginuing of next week. Explaining a shortage of brown and wholemeal bread the xiresident of the Wellington ATaster Bakers' Association (Mr. ii. E. Eairey) gave the following details today of the cause of ma'ny bakers being out of wholemeal flour. Realising a shortage was imniinent merchants and . bakers placed an emergency order that was loaded on to tlie inter-islaiul express steanier at Lyttelton last Friday. It arrived in Wellington on Baturday wlien the present working of a -10-hour week by watersiders prevented its being unloaded. The cargo returned to Lyttelton ori Haturdav night and arrived back I ■ w O in Wellington yesterday. The weather look a hand and again the shipment reniained nnloaded and was carried back to Lyttelton last night. Tlie tale may not end there. The shipment will arrive in Wellington for Ihe tliird time tomorrow. But toniorrow is the day of the waterside workers' montlily stoi>-work nieeting and there is a strong cliance that the flour will not be nnloaded and so will ivtuni to Lyttelton tomorrow night. That will bring it back to Wellington for a fourtlx time\on Eaturday wlien the crazy round may start again as there will be ho work on the wharves on tSaturdav. For tlie fifth linie the cargo will arrive in Wellington on Monday and if bakers and Ihe public are lucky witli weather and other factors it may tlien be unloaded and distributed. In the nieantime the expected shortage of wholemeal flour is taking effeet in Wellington so flint lnany bakers in tlie city and in tlie Hutt Valley are unable to provide brown or wholemeal bread. Other bakers, slightly niore fortunate witli stocks, will be able to supplv sonie of these lyjies of bread for a day or two, but. llien their stocks will be exhausted and so tlie pulrlie will be unable to obtain any brown or wholenieal iiread.